Delray Approves Proposal For Major League Ballpark

January 7, 1987|By JOSEPH SCHWERDT, Staff Writer

DELRAY BEACH -- The City Council on Tuesday approved a plan to build a major league baseball field at Miller Park, a move which Baseball School President Larry Hoskin said will attract attention from some professional baseball teams.

The council agreed to build the field on 10 vacant acres between the park and the school, a private baseball training institution that uses the park`s fields. The new field will have major-league baseball dimensions -- 380 feet to centerfield and 330 feet down the lines.

Also in the proposal for an expansion of the park are a soccer or football field, a softball diamond and a Little League practice infield.

The plan also allows the expansion of Southwest Fourth Avenue -- which now stops at the south end of the park -- to Dotterel Road. Miller Park is just west of Dixie Highway and south of Linton Boulevard.

The fields will be built and maintained by the Baseball School, officials said. In exchange, the school will use the field and the park at no charge. Hoskin said he hopes construction will begin in about a year.

``Financially, we couldn`t do it today,`` Hoskin said. ``Maybe a year from now. Obviously we would like to get it done as soon as possible to beautify that land right up to our doorstep.``

The city is only responsible for building the road and grading the land in preparation for construction. The city`s cost would be around $100,000.

Hoskin said the continued improvement and expansion of Miller park is attracting the attention of major league baseball teams that need training sites. Hoskin said the expanded park could accommodate a minor-league training camp or instructional league play.